


And home we steer, A merry crew

by fictionalaspect



Category: Alice In Wonderland - Carroll, Bandom, The Like
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-13
Updated: 2010-05-13
Packaged: 2017-10-09 10:25:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/86264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionalaspect/pseuds/fictionalaspect
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Of Rabbit Holes, and other wondrous things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And home we steer, A merry crew

Tennesee is not a very careful girl.

She scrunches her too-long toes up insider her shoes and her hair tangles in the wind when she's not paying attention. And so, when she's looking up at the sky and thinking about how many types of jam are in the cupboard at home, and which ones hasn't she tried yet and there's a rabbit hole--

(At least, she thinks it's a rabbit hole, because it's deep and wide and Tennesee falls and falls and rabbit holes aren't that deep, are they, and maybe it's something else, maybe--)

\--when that happens, Tennessee stands up and brushes herself off and sets out, because there are leaves tucked behind her ear and careful is overrated.

\--

The girl wraps thin fingers around her wrist and says "We're late, we're late!" and Tennessee sees a flash of blond and cream, freckles and wide eyes before they're running out and up and into the air, tumbling out through the ivy-covered door.

"Hello?" Tennessee says, when she's managed to stand up again, and the girl says "No time!" with a flash of a grin, like she's _delighted_ about it, like they're going to run and run until there's no more earth under their feet, until they reach the end.

Tennessee feels soft fingers curl into her own, a squeeze of shared purpose, but when she blinks and looks up the girl is gone.

"Oh," says Tennessee, and she kicks some dirt off of her saddle-shoes and looks up at the sky and keeps walking.

\--

Bottles which say _Drink Me_, Tennesee learns, should be avoided.

\--

Flowers hiss and hum.

Turtles serenade her with songs about lobsters, the ocean, the dance of the sea.

There are cakes, and kings, and queens, and on one memorable occasion, a unicorn. To move backwards is to go forwards, and paintbrushes are the devil's playthings, concealing the basest of lies.

Tennessee listens, and watches, and asks questions when nothing seems to make sense.

Which is often.

\--

"But who are you?" The boy says, and his companion smiles, wide and inviting.

"I--" Tennesee says. "I hardly know, sir, just at present. At least, I knew who I was when I got up this morning--"1 She's still feeling a little funny after that last run-in with the Cheshire Cat. She keeps looking down and checking to make sure she's not disappearing as well.

"Sir?" The boy says, and blows out a lazy puff of smoke. They're perched on top of a very tall mushroom, he and his companion, small and dark where the boy with the hookah is tall and fair.

(Tennessee sort of wants to poke the mushroom, to see if it's spongy or hard or what, but she's refraining.)

"We're not Sirs," the second boy says, and scratches at his beard. "That would be weird."

"Do you have a name?" the first boy says, interested. "Mine's Ryan."

"Alice," Tennessee says, just for the hell of it. Sometimes it's fun to screw with people. They seem nice enough, but a little...distracted.

"We're looking for a rabbit," Ryan says after a pause in which he exhales smoke, the wisps curling into his long hair like they're coming home. "She's small and blond. Have you seen her?"

"Like, what, hopping around?" Tennessee says. "Uh, no."

"If you do--" the second guy says, and Tennessee says "Yeah, sure, absolutely," as she's walking away. It's a nice day out. She has things to do, and places to see, and that's when she hears the giggle and the tug on her hand.

"Come on," the girl says, "There's a tea party, we can't be late--" and Tennessee smiles and lets herself be pulled along.

\--

The gate of the tiny house is orange, and rickety, and painted with bright-blue spots. The blond girl has short hair and a white dress and red shoes, and when Tennessee asks her if she's seen a rabbit, she just laughs and laughs.

Flowers hang over the bower, and when Tennessee pushes the gate open someone trills "Come in, Come in!" Tennessee follows the sound of the music to a small round table, perched in a garden where only the tiniest patch of earth has been cleared. Flowers spring up to her waist and Tennessee weaves her way through, apologizing profusely when she steps on someone. The snapdragons have the worst temper.

The tea, when poured, is hot and strong. "I like your hair," Tennessee says to the girl in the orange hat, and she blushes, cutting her eyes away.

"I made it," the girl says, and the dark-eyed girl with the red lipstick says "I'm Laena," as though Tennessee had asked.

(She was going to, actually, so that's convenient, except names seem to be potentially dangerous around here and sometimes it's best to stay quiet.)

"I'm Z," the girl behind her says, from where she's weaving a tiny riot of protesting dandelions into Tennessee's hair. A braid flops down into Tennessee's face just as the last girl says "I'm Reni." Tennessee purses her lips and puffs it out of the way.

"Alice," Tennessee says, and Z says "No, you're not."

"Well," Tennessee says. "Well, okay. No. I'm not."

"You don't have to tell us," Laena says, nibbling on a cracker. "Only it will be so much fun if you do. We had plans for this evening. We were going to string the house with fairy lights, and dance, and sing."

"And you need to know my name for that?" Tennessee says, and Z brushes her fingers across the back of her neck lightly, pulling the hair away and smoothing it back. "I hope you've got your hair fastened on?" Z says, ignoring the question.

"Only in the usual way,"2 Tennessee says. "What happens if I don't tell you my name?"

"Nothing," Reni says, looking surprised. "It's just--it's more fun with secrets you can share."

"Mmm," Laena says, agreeing. She stands up, smoothing her skirt down and setting her crown of flowers back on her head. "Well? Are you coming?" Z's hand is soft on Tennessee's neck and she's humming, a tune that skips up and down the scale like a hazy memory, like the play of summer sunlight on the grass between the trees.

"It's Tennessee," Tennessee says, standing up and brushing the dirt off of her shoes. She has to look presentable, after all. "And yes. I'm coming."

 

 

 

1 _The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice. "Who are you?" said the Caterpillar. Alice replied, rather shyly, "I--I hardly know, Sir, just at present--at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then."_

2 _"I hope you've got your hair well fastened on?" the White Knight continued, as they set off. "Only in the usual way," Alice said, smiling._

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[podfic] And home we steer, A merry crew](https://archiveofourown.org/works/464114) by [growlery](https://archiveofourown.org/users/growlery/pseuds/growlery)




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